As the senior Wolverines walk into their last year at Watkins Mill, they start off “rock” steady!

The class of 2017 continues to leave their mark on the Mill by carrying on the tradition of painting the senior rock.

The past senior classes have painted the rock with various designs, each with their own unique characteristic. The class of 2017 first came up with ideas for this year’s design of the rock towards the end of their junior year. Though many ideas were tossed around, the seniors committed to a design that had recently been used elsewhere. Senior Fatou Thiam said that “[The seniors] really liked the design of the March to the Mill shirt, so we based the rock off of that.”

Painting the rock is not only done to keep traditions alive. For many seniors, the rock is a representation of their class pride.“[The rock] is painted to leave the class’ mark on the school for the year,” senior class president Kareling Portillo said. “It’s a symbol of how far we’ve come.”

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The rock was painted over the summer, when the hot weather proved to be an obstacle. “We had to work for hours in the hot beating sun,” Thiam said. Despite the high temperatures, the seniors were able to fight through it.

“It may have been hot, but it was worth it,” said senior Harrison Deist, who painted the letters on the rock.

Now that the rock is painted, the class of 2017 plans to finish high school with a bang. Senior Brandon Rodriguez said, “The senior class this year…is gonna bring spirit back to the school.” With the launching of the first ever Mill Madness, along with the involvement of Orange Nation, the senior class has a heavy focus on keeping school spirit alive.

“If the senior class comes together, you know that the rest of the school will follow and gain spirit,” Portillo said.

The seniors coming together is the beginning of the rise in spirit. “The first thing you see when you enter the Mill is the rock, and it’s cool to say that that’s us… we did that,” Portillo said.